The First 9 Minutes Of God Of War PS4

In the opening to God of War, Kratos and Atreus navigate a tragic situation and begin their long journey.

God of War is here, and it is shaping up to receive quite the reception. It's a giant game that'll take you dozens of hours to complete, and it has a complex and deep combat system. God of War is also gorgeous, with some stunning scenery and character art.

But developer Sony Santa Monica hasn't released a ton of footage from the game in advance of launch, so it's understandable if you're still unsure about what it's like or how it looks. To get a better sense of how God of War is changed from past entries in the series, check out the first nine minutes of the game in the embed above.

In the video, you get a good look at Kratos' more grizzled features as well as his son, Atreus. In addition, the introductory scenes set up the story and show off the new Norse setting. Finally, there's also a bit of combat in there, but it's worth noting that your skills and toolset expand significantly as the game goes on.

Be sure to read our recent interview with director Cory Barlog if you're interested in learning more about the game's mechanics and how they came be. Further, you can watch our feature on the best skills and loadouts here, and the beginner's guide for the game here.

In GameSpot's God of War review, critic Peter Brown explains, "Like Kratos, God of War recalls the past while acknowledging the need to improve. Everything new it does is for the better, and everything it holds onto benefits as a result. Kratos is no longer a predictable brute. God of War is no longer an old-fashioned action series. With this reboot, it confidently walks a new path that will hopefully lead to more exciting adventures to come."

I love the deliberate slowness when Kratos's wraps become loose, and he closes his eyes then rewraps them. The game is really effective at making its cinematic moments feel evocative and emotionally interesting, where as you're normally just waiting for the game to let you play again as it explains some plot. This is different in that it's more about establishing a tone for the game and establishing characterizations for Kratos.

Further on the game, I like how Kratos' message to Atreus is to slow down and to control his emotions, which kind of mirrors the game's overall mechanic redesign, and Kratos' past. Works that are made with a certain sense of craft with literary elements in mind tend to contain a lot of layers of symbolic sense whether it's a conscious effort or unintentional. Well-crafted stories tend to spur the audience to make those connections because the game evokes that sense of cohesion: likewise, in a room in which nothing is out of place gives the feeling that everything is there for a reason; if there by effort or not, it's still interesting to understand the aesthetics of why that feeling exists. And when creating with that sense of intention, the process tends to lead to decisions that further the cause.

Also, telling Arteus to slow down is also for the player as well, because it's way less button-mashy of a game. You kind of really have to understand your enemies' patterns and what attacks works on them, and the nuances of your attack animations too.

@reviewlies: Ummm, no. It's actually not. It's the best game I've played this year so far. Easily. I also play on PC, Bone and PS4 so I've got a nice big selection of games I've delved into so far this year. GoW is, hands down, the most ambitious action adventure game in a long, long while. Go hate somewhere else.

The last week I've been trying to pre-order a copy at Amazon (thanks to their 20% discount.) but to no avail. I probably shouldn't have waited so long but I wanted to see what the reviews said before putting down any money. Anyone know if Amazon is getting more hard copies in before tomorrow or am I going to have to do it the old-school way (store to store.)?

@analgrin: Doesn't really satisfy me when you preorder a game then they ship it on Monday to arrive on Tuesday or Wednesday a date late. Sometimes amazon take preorders without having the relevant stock so they make you wait a week etc.